Free Tibet Campaign

The Free Tibet Campaign is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation, founded in 1987 and based in London, England that campaigns for the rights of the Tibetan people to determine their own government. [http://www.freetibet.org/contact/what-we-do What Is Free Tibet Campaign?] ] The international movement is called the International Tibet Independence Movement.

The group campaigns for an end to what some consider to be an occupation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China (PRC), and that the fundamental human rights of the people of Tibet be respected. [http://www.freetibet.org/files/file/about/Nowak%20report.pdf UN Special Rapporteur on torture's 2006 report] ]

It is a member of the "International Tibet Support Network", a worldwide group of affiliated organisations campaigning to end Chinese rule in Tibet. [ [http://www.tibetnetwork.org/support/tsg ITSN Member Organizations] ] As of November 2006 the Free Tibet Campaign had over 19,000 paid up supporters and around 30 local groups around the UK involved in fund raising and letter writing campaigns. The group issues a quarterly magazine to its members in addition to regular mailings informing its supporters of the organisation's activities.

In March 2008, the group reported extensively on the largest series of protests in Tibet for over twenty years; protests which Tibet Support Groups (TSGs) continue to gather evidence about today. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/03/15/dl1502.xml Telegraph report: 'Tibet, another Tiananmen?'] ] As the Chinese government routinely bars journalists from Tibet and ensures that political dissent is punished harshly, the work of TSGs in getting information out of Tibet is difficult but vital to the Tibetan cause. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/16/tibet.china Guardian report: 'China sends in the tanks'] ]

Throughout 2008, Free Tibet Campaign and other TSGs have cited the fundemental hypocricy of China being awarded the Olympic Games whilst displaying one of the world's poorest human rights records; contradicting spirit of the Games as well as promises made to the International Olympic Committee [IOC] that China would improve this record in the build-up to the Beijing Olympics. This included the organising of large scale rallies in central London during the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay in April, in which thousands of Tibet supporters filled the streets,. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/07/olympicgames2008.china2 Guardian report: 'Thousands protest'] ] leading to China and the IOC reducing and re-routing relays in other cities, [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/sports/othersports/10vecsey.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin New York Times report: 'The IOC's five ring circus'] ] ensuring the event became less effective as a method of promoting the propaganda notion that China is a 'harmonious' state.

Following the Olympics, China analysts speculate that there is a possibility the authorities will begin to deal harshly with Tibetan dissenters now that the eyes of the world are off Beijing. [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121935422617061449.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Wall Street Journal report: 'The crackdown to come'] ] Free Tibet Campaign has provided evidence of huge military build-ups in the area, [http://freetibet.thorp.biz/newsmedia/180808 Free Tibet press release: 'As Beijing celebrates, crackdown worsens'] ] and urges political leaders to not turn their backs on the region.

The campaign also seeks the release of political prisoners through lobbying, petitions and its Urgent Action Campaigns.. [http://www.freetibet.org/campaigns/urgent-action-archives Urgent Action Campaigns] ] This approach has been successful in securing the early release of prominent political prisoners such as Phuntsog Nyidron, reducing Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's sentence from death to life and was also possibly influential in ensuring Runggye Adak's relatively low-length sentence in 2007.

References

ee also

*List of organizations of Tibetans in exile

External links

* [http://www.freetibet.org/ Free Tibet Campaign's official website]
* [http://www.tibetwatch.org Tibet Watch's official website]
* [http://www.freetibet.org/files/DalaiLamaReport(1).pdf 'Revealing the Truth': Free Tibet report on China's Anti-Dalai Lama campaign]
* [http://www.freetibet.org/files/Forked(3).pdf 'Forken Tongue': Free Tibet's report on the forced decline of the Tibetan language]
* [http://www.freetibet.org/files/Travel%20Guide.pdf Free Tibet's alternative travel guide to Tibet]